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Beat the Heart Attack Gene: The Revolutionary Plan to Prevent Heart Disease, Stroke, and Diabetes
A revolutionary, personalized guide to preventing heart disease based on genetic factors Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in America. It affects 81 million Americans and is the culprit in one of every two deaths in the United States. Most people think that they are not at risk of a heart attack if they control their cholesterol and blood pressure, but they aren’t aware of other major risk factors. The good news is that with the right information and strategies, heart attacks are preventable—even if heart disease runs in the family.
In Beat the Heart Attack Gene, world-renowned cardiovascular specialists Bradley Bale, MD and Amy Doneen, ARNP, present a new model for understanding and preventing heart disease. They explain the three different genetic types of cholesterol profiles and tailor treatments for each type, using their cutting-edge Bale/Doneen Method, a simple, comprehensive prevention plan that detects cardiovascular disease (CVD) at early stages. Beat the Heart Attack Gene includes easy quizzes and self-tests that show how to determine cholesterol genotype as well as advice for how to apply that knowledge through nutritional and lifestyle changes. For heart attack and stroke survivors, the Bale/Doneen Method also helps prevent recurrences by identifying and treating what's triggering the patient's disease—a crucial step that many cardiologists neglect.
With their proven method utilized by healthcare professionals worldwide , Bale and Doneen empower readers by alerting them to potential health threats, and then offer personalized, evidence-based strategies so they can live healthy, active lives without fear of heart attack or stroke. Specifically, Beat the Heart Attack Gene
*The hidden cause of most heart attacks
*Early prevention methods
*The dangerous cholesterol most doctors don’t check
*Major red flags for heart attack and stroke risk, including gum disease
*The gene that increases cardiovascular risk as much as smoking
*The best and worst supplements for your heart
*10 surprising ways to prevent heart attacks
In Beat the Heart Attack Gene, world-renowned cardiovascular specialists Bradley Bale, MD and Amy Doneen, ARNP, present a new model for understanding and preventing heart disease. They explain the three different genetic types of cholesterol profiles and tailor treatments for each type, using their cutting-edge Bale/Doneen Method, a simple, comprehensive prevention plan that detects cardiovascular disease (CVD) at early stages. Beat the Heart Attack Gene includes easy quizzes and self-tests that show how to determine cholesterol genotype as well as advice for how to apply that knowledge through nutritional and lifestyle changes. For heart attack and stroke survivors, the Bale/Doneen Method also helps prevent recurrences by identifying and treating what's triggering the patient's disease—a crucial step that many cardiologists neglect.
With their proven method utilized by healthcare professionals worldwide , Bale and Doneen empower readers by alerting them to potential health threats, and then offer personalized, evidence-based strategies so they can live healthy, active lives without fear of heart attack or stroke. Specifically, Beat the Heart Attack Gene
*The hidden cause of most heart attacks
*Early prevention methods
*The dangerous cholesterol most doctors don’t check
*Major red flags for heart attack and stroke risk, including gum disease
*The gene that increases cardiovascular risk as much as smoking
*The best and worst supplements for your heart
*10 surprising ways to prevent heart attacks
340 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2013
191 people are currently reading
543 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
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November 30, 2020TL;DR: If you have a family history of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks, or strokes then you should read this book.
To start off with the bad, I could write a book about the ways in which the authors fail to understand statistics. Their seemingly random and effusive quoting of studies without considering the experimental design and confounding factors among other things causes me to doubt their overall ability to interpret the research. To give but one example on p. 297:
"9. Get a flu shot. Adults who are vaccinated against influenza have a 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular mortality, a large study found."
Yes, but people who get flu shots are also likely more conscientious and responsible which probably means they eat healthier, exercise more, sleep better, etc. If they had been a bit more self-aware about this, that would have made me feel more confident in trusting the rest of their recommendations.
With that being said, there is a good deal of research behind many of the recommendations. I had to do a good deal of this research myself because I did not trust theirs... t
And, they are no doubt correct in their diagnosis that the average doctor is terribly informed about taking preventative measures to help prevent heart disease.
Furthermore, most of the program is not crazy expensive to implement and for people with a strong history of heart disease, most of the recommendations have fairly low downsides so there's not much risk/cost in looking at many of the things they suggest.
So, all in all, a good book for the people that need it though it could have been a quarter the length with a 90% reduction in the self-congratulatory tone and accomplished it's purpose more effectively.
To start off with the bad, I could write a book about the ways in which the authors fail to understand statistics. Their seemingly random and effusive quoting of studies without considering the experimental design and confounding factors among other things causes me to doubt their overall ability to interpret the research. To give but one example on p. 297:
"9. Get a flu shot. Adults who are vaccinated against influenza have a 50 percent reduction in cardiovascular mortality, a large study found."
Yes, but people who get flu shots are also likely more conscientious and responsible which probably means they eat healthier, exercise more, sleep better, etc. If they had been a bit more self-aware about this, that would have made me feel more confident in trusting the rest of their recommendations.
With that being said, there is a good deal of research behind many of the recommendations. I had to do a good deal of this research myself because I did not trust theirs... t
And, they are no doubt correct in their diagnosis that the average doctor is terribly informed about taking preventative measures to help prevent heart disease.
Furthermore, most of the program is not crazy expensive to implement and for people with a strong history of heart disease, most of the recommendations have fairly low downsides so there's not much risk/cost in looking at many of the things they suggest.
So, all in all, a good book for the people that need it though it could have been a quarter the length with a 90% reduction in the self-congratulatory tone and accomplished it's purpose more effectively.
January 6, 2015
This was fascinating. I feel like it is probably the best information available to date and I have applied some of it in the time since I finished. It has affected my diet and to some extent my medical care. Unfortunately, some of the testing recommended is not practical for financial reasons.
December 19, 2025
i really wish i could recommend this to ppl but it was SO dense and repetitive. the information is useful but very mentally exhausting to read. also the quote “if you’re reading this sitting down you may be at risk for XYZ”… sir most people read sitting down. made my health anxiety worse at first but much better by the end.
May 15, 2023
Too much (clickbait style) referencing to next chapters - We talk about THIS dangerous factor in chapter 12.
Lp(a) is genetic CVD clotting and risk factor and can't be controlled with statins. It can be lowered with niacin.
6 essential tests:
F2-Isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs)
Fibrinogen
CRP
lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2)
Myeloperoxidase (MPO)
Lp(a)
Lp(a) is genetic CVD clotting and risk factor and can't be controlled with statins. It can be lowered with niacin.
6 essential tests:
F2-Isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs)
Fibrinogen
CRP
lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2)
Myeloperoxidase (MPO)
Lp(a)
September 26, 2019
Extremely compelling findings and recommendations for heart health. The audiobook is pretty dry, and I purchased the hardcopy so I can go back and re-read some of the important parts (tests to get, ranges to be in, etc.). I plan to start giving this book to friends - let's all be healthy!
June 29, 2023
If you were trying to confuse the medically curious, this book fills the bill. The “Heart Attack Gene” subhead is only a pretext for writing multiple chapters that bounce between heart disease, strokes, and insulin resistance. The book mentions the relevant genes, but chronic arterial inflammation that is the heart (pun intended) of the book. Not only does he not treat the subject matter linearly, Mr. Bale keeps pointing to upcoming or previous chapters when he should be expounding on the topic he has just introduced. As a result, he repeats certain subject matter numerous times throughout the book. For example, he introduces the heart attack gene (9P21) several times early on, but he doesn’t tell you it true consequences, the test for it, or what to do about it until much later. This is not to say that the book doesn’t have sound medical advice; it’s just buried in reaps of obfuscating prose, some intermittent case studies, lists of tests, conditions, and recommendations, and apocalyptic warnings about these dangerous medical conditions. If the book had received a solid edit preproduction it would be about half its current size. Read the book on a Kindle and highlight the sections that concentrate on the testing recommendations.
June 19, 2017
My dentist recommended this book to me. It is excellent. The book is clear and straightforward. It is about heart attacks and stroke prevention and periodontal disease comes up many many times. The three health conditions appear to be intimately connected.
The basic premise of the book is that inflammation appears to be the root cause of most diseases that human beings can have, including cancer. The authors give extensive lists of medical tests that can, and probably should, be done in order to establish an individuals medical status. From those tests individualized treatment plans can be developed.
I have known people who seemed very healthy and active who died very suddenly. There are people who seem healthy and yet when investigation is done it may be discovered that inflammation is causing problems in the arteries, etc. OR a person has inflammation and it turns out that they have periodontal disease.
At any rate, I found the book to be clear and helpful.
The basic premise of the book is that inflammation appears to be the root cause of most diseases that human beings can have, including cancer. The authors give extensive lists of medical tests that can, and probably should, be done in order to establish an individuals medical status. From those tests individualized treatment plans can be developed.
I have known people who seemed very healthy and active who died very suddenly. There are people who seem healthy and yet when investigation is done it may be discovered that inflammation is causing problems in the arteries, etc. OR a person has inflammation and it turns out that they have periodontal disease.
At any rate, I found the book to be clear and helpful.
July 1, 2018
This book has helped me raise self awareness on the habits that are of detriment to my health and I have also learned the things that contributes to its improvement. Right after reading only a few pages of its early chapters, I was invigorated, up and running literally, conscious and careful on anything that I consume. It somehow created an imaginary calorie counter and toxic alert within myself.
Beating the Heart Gene basically is about the preventive method introduced by Bale and Doneen, the two authors of this book. Both have followed the concept of the popular principle of preventive being better than the curative method. They really have discouraged, or should I say despised, the mentality of a person who relies solely to curing alone while he neglects the prevention method. Such people are those who wait until the cat starts to leap from the gutter, a metaphor used by the authors to describe a person who suddenly suffered a fatal heart attack without warning. This book is filled with practical tips and advices from both experts on how to exactly prevent that fatal event from happening.
Anyone who owns a heart should definitely read this book. In it are pragmatic medical approaches, as aforementioned, to prevent heart disease that are not mentioned elsewhere even by our most trusted personal cardiologists. However, it is worth noting that prevention, base on Bale/Doneen method, is synonymous with abstention. In a nutshell, if we have a lifestyle of a couch potato who never sweats, who smoke cigarettes like a chimney, who have regular soft-drinks consumption without much care of calorie intakes then this book would be of little help until we eschew these unhealthy habits completely.
Beating the Heart Gene basically is about the preventive method introduced by Bale and Doneen, the two authors of this book. Both have followed the concept of the popular principle of preventive being better than the curative method. They really have discouraged, or should I say despised, the mentality of a person who relies solely to curing alone while he neglects the prevention method. Such people are those who wait until the cat starts to leap from the gutter, a metaphor used by the authors to describe a person who suddenly suffered a fatal heart attack without warning. This book is filled with practical tips and advices from both experts on how to exactly prevent that fatal event from happening.
Anyone who owns a heart should definitely read this book. In it are pragmatic medical approaches, as aforementioned, to prevent heart disease that are not mentioned elsewhere even by our most trusted personal cardiologists. However, it is worth noting that prevention, base on Bale/Doneen method, is synonymous with abstention. In a nutshell, if we have a lifestyle of a couch potato who never sweats, who smoke cigarettes like a chimney, who have regular soft-drinks consumption without much care of calorie intakes then this book would be of little help until we eschew these unhealthy habits completely.
August 17, 2019
Unscientific garbage sales pitch
I only got halfway through this book before skimming the remainder. It is a jumble of recommendations that sound precise, like "exercise 22 minutes per day to get a14% lower risk." There are chapter end notes, but they don't seem relevant to the claims made in the associated chapters. What science I've learned from other books by other doctors often disagree with this book. And the book often contradicts itself.
Following this plan is an expensive and risky way to experiment with your health! The best I can say for it is that it is better that the SAD diet or veganism, and you will likely get better care from this kind of doctor than from conventional know-nothing doctors.
I only got halfway through this book before skimming the remainder. It is a jumble of recommendations that sound precise, like "exercise 22 minutes per day to get a14% lower risk." There are chapter end notes, but they don't seem relevant to the claims made in the associated chapters. What science I've learned from other books by other doctors often disagree with this book. And the book often contradicts itself.
Following this plan is an expensive and risky way to experiment with your health! The best I can say for it is that it is better that the SAD diet or veganism, and you will likely get better care from this kind of doctor than from conventional know-nothing doctors.
January 30, 2022
So sorry my dear viewers I don't really want to post this here but I don't know what to do because I'm so excited this is a miracle healing to me ❣️🙏
what can I really say, if not for almighty God who use Dr Aboda 🌿 natural remedies to heal me from stroke, I really want to use this medium to say thank you for all you do in my life. please 🙏 you reading or seeing this post please don't ignore or lolz 😅 about it Dr Aboda treatment is the best natural herbal remedy to clean and balance your body system. Dr Aboda cure all kind of disease's or virus 🦠 for any kind of disease's or virus please contact Dr Aboda for advice. drabodasolutoin@gmail.com or
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what can I really say, if not for almighty God who use Dr Aboda 🌿 natural remedies to heal me from stroke, I really want to use this medium to say thank you for all you do in my life. please 🙏 you reading or seeing this post please don't ignore or lolz 😅 about it Dr Aboda treatment is the best natural herbal remedy to clean and balance your body system. Dr Aboda cure all kind of disease's or virus 🦠 for any kind of disease's or virus please contact Dr Aboda for advice. drabodasolutoin@gmail.com or
https://www.facebook.com/Drabodasolut...
August 26, 2025
This is a health book that looks at heart disease in a different way, focusing less on cholesterol numbers and more on inflammation as the real problem. I read it after my doctor recommended it, and I think it makes a lot of sense. The authors explain how simple and inexpensive blood tests can help you identify risks early, and they give a clear plan for how to respond. I found it smart, practical, and very reasonable, especially for anyone who wants to understand heart health beyond the usual advice.
August 23, 2024
Did repeat a few times, I think “Superman” giving up niacin was mentioned 3 or 4 times…anyway overall very informative book as I have Insulin Resistance, PCOS, fatty liver, metabolic syndrome syndrome and high blood pressure. I didn’t realize just how high risk for heart attack and stroke I was though and that scares the shit out of me. I definitely need to make some lifestyle changes and possibly get further testing done to make sure I’m keeping up on my heart health.
February 10, 2019
Finally. All the info you need to prevent a heart attack death
5 stars. My cardiologist gave me a statin and sent me home. He gave me no other method to prevent a future heart attack. This book has the information I have been looking for that will stop me from being a cardiac victim.
5 stars. My cardiologist gave me a statin and sent me home. He gave me no other method to prevent a future heart attack. This book has the information I have been looking for that will stop me from being a cardiac victim.
May 29, 2019
Interesting, but not an easy read about the right labs to be checked to realize your heart attack risk and the best diet you should be on based on your genes. I read this book for work, but plan to start testing patients for some of the tests explained in this book. These authors also have conferences to explain their method and how they have changed and saved the lives of many.
January 26, 2020
This is the 6th time I've tried to save this book as a book I've read & the 3rd review on it I've vainly attempted to give. This goodreads app is horrible & a waste of waning, limited cell phone resources adding to the crippling of my geriatric, century-old (3 human years) phone! Again, the book was great, essential addition to my health library.
June 8, 2021
Even if you don't think you have cardiovascular disease...you may or will or already have the inflammation in all your arteries. The answer? Know which gene you have, how far the disease has progressed and change your path entirely through changing your diet. Thought this would be a boring tome, but in fact it captured me and I refer back to it often, a bible to prevent stroke and heart attack.
May 21, 2017
Recommended by my Dr. Interesting perspective on heart health, multiple recommendations on testing, understanding the test, etc.
Was a little redundant at times also very deep in medical stuff at times too. Overall worth the read particularly if your are at risk.
Was a little redundant at times also very deep in medical stuff at times too. Overall worth the read particularly if your are at risk.
January 5, 2020
Saw this book in my dentist's office waiting room. Since I have a-fib thought it would be beneficial. I had the gene test and know my APO gene results so the information in this book has given me additional knowledge of why I will continue my exercise program and work on my weight and diet.
January 16, 2021
This is a book full of relative percentages, without base rates. So it's hard to say how much any given risk or treatment described matters.
But it provided me with a set of talking points for the next discussion I have with my doctor, and may be life-changing.
But it provided me with a set of talking points for the next discussion I have with my doctor, and may be life-changing.
September 20, 2024
It's literally a book that can save lives. It shares the cutting-edge science of how to assess and keep our cardiovascular system healthy. Considering heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes are leading causes of illness and death, everyone should arm themselves with the information from this book.
January 26, 2020
Great book! A must have!
September 4, 2020
Highly recommended by, and purchased because of, my dentist. My internist was less thrilled by the recommendation. It is an interesting read.
July 9, 2022
I really liked the information in this book, particularly how it added oral health into the mix. On the other hand, it was odd to find several typos within the text.
December 9, 2024
Great information. Be your own advocate.
January 29, 2025
Very USA-centric, and a bit melodramatic at times, but plenty of useful info nonetheless.
February 4, 2025
Great information on what causes cardiovascular disease and how you can prevent it
June 28, 2025
The information was valuable but man was this written and edited so poorly. Many typos, poorly organized, too much information repeated over and over.
October 21, 2015
I received this book from Goodreads for an honest review. Great book. Very informative. Well written. Easy to understand. Covers everything. Talks about heart attack prevention, women and heart disease, causes, red flags, tests, diet and exercise... Great information on cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and blood sugar. This book has caused me to start making necessary changes in my life. Beat The Heart Attack Gene is a must read book for our unhealthy and obese american society. Thank You.
March 4, 2016
Everyone that breathes should read this book. At times it is a little difficult to get through because it can get pretty technical with medical jargon, but it has completely changed how I view heart disease prevention. I work in the dental field, and now see what a huge factor dental health has in connection with vascular and heart health.
The knowledge presented in this book is invaluable.
The knowledge presented in this book is invaluable.
October 14, 2015
THIS is a fascinating book that takes you from causes of a heart attack to having one and recovering from one. I especially liked the chapter Woman and Heart Attacks. It is very informative but also easy to understand.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews